The present invention relates to electrical grounding and bonding, and more particularly to a ground fitting for easily grounding or bonding a ground wire carried in spiral metal sheathing (e.g., an armored cable) at an endpoint to a pipe extending a short distance from a wall.
Ground wires frequently require protection from damage. The ground wire is generally a heavy gauge wire, for example eight gauge or six gauge solid, or four gauge stranded, and is generally uninsulated. A common method for protecting a ground wire is to carry the ground wire in a spiral metal sheathing (e.g., armored cable), thereby creating an armored ground wire. Such spiral metal sheathing provides the desired protection to the ground wire.
It is often necessary to connect the ground wire to a ground member (or ground point) such as a water spigot extending from the side of a structure. Unfortunately, known grounding clamps do not allow the clamp to be attached to the pipe between the wall and spigot, and allow the ground wire to be attached in the most desirable manner parallel to the wall to keep the ground wire close to the wall.
Therefore, a need remains for a ground fitting (or clamp) and method of use which clamps to a spigot pipe and facilitates running the ground wire parallel to the wall for the entire length of the ground wire.